# 2016 Menards 250

The 2016 Menards 250 presented by Valvoline was the thirteenth stock car race of the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, and the 25th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, June 11, 2016, in Brooklyn, Michigan, at Michigan International Speedway, a 2 miles (3.2 km) permanent tri-oval shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 125 laps to complete. In an exciting battle for the win, Daniel Suárez, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would make a last lap pass on Kyle Busch, and earn his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series win. He would become the first Mexican driver to win a NASCAR national series race. Busch mainly dominated the race, leading 88 laps. To fill out the podium, Paul Menard, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would finish in third, respectively.

## Background

Michigan International Speedway is a 2 mi (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than 1,400 acres (5.7 km$^2$) approximately four-mile (6.4 km) south of the village of Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is 70-mile (110 km) west of the center of Detroit, 40-mile (64 km) from Ann Arbor and 60 miles (97 km) south and northwest of Lansing and Toledo, Ohio respectively. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is sometimes known as a sister track to Texas World Speedway, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is owned by NASCAR. Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of the motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards). Michigan is the fastest track in NASCAR due to its wide, sweeping corners, long straightaways, and lack of a restrictor plate requirement; typical qualifying speeds are in excess of 200 mph (320 km/h) and corner entry speeds are anywhere from 215 to 220 mph (346 to 354 km/h) after the 2012 repaving of the track.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Garrett Smithley (R) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Operating Engineers 324 |
| 01 | Ryan Preece (R) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | JD Motorsports |
| 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | OneMain Financial |
| 2 | Paul Menard (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Richmond Water Heaters, Menards |
| 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Rheem |
| 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Dream Water |
| 6 | Bubba Wallace | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | LoudMouth Exhaust |
| 07 | Ray Black Jr. (R) | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Scuba Life |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Brandt |
| 10 | Matt DiBenedetto (i) | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | TriStar Motorsports |
| 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | LeafFilter Gutter Protection |
| 13 | Harrison Rhodes | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | OCR Gaz Bar, Mohawk Market |
| 14 | Jeff Green | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | TriStar Motorsports |
| 15 | Todd Peck | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Ford | Lilly Trucking, Carport Empire |
| 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Lilly Diabetes, American Diabetes Association |
| 18 | Kyle Busch (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | NOS Energy Drink |
| 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Arris |
| 20 | Erik Jones (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Reser's Fine Foods |
| 22 | Joey Logano (i) | Team Penske | Ford | Discount Tire |
| 25 | Chris Cockrum | Chris Cockrum Racing | Chevrolet | Advanced Communications Group |
| 28 | Dakoda Armstrong | JGL Racing | Toyota | WinField |
| 33 | Brandon Jones (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Nexteer Automotive |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | iDashBoards |
| 40 | John Jackson | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | TLC Vacations |
| 42 | Justin Marks | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Katerra |
| 44 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | Zachry |
| 48 | Brennan Poole (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | DC Solar |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | RepairableVehicles.com, Diamond Pistons |
| 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | Donate Life, DB Sales |
| 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa |
| 70 | Derrike Cope | Derrike Cope Racing | Chevrolet | Big Brothers Big Sisters of America |
| 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | Mike Harmon Racing |
| 78 | B. J. McLeod (R) | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Ford | B. J. McLeod Motorsports |
| 79 | Josh Williams | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | DB Sales |
| 88 | Alex Bowman | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Vannoy Construction |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | Shepherd Racing Ventures |
| 90 | Martin Roy | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Gamache Truck Center |
| 92 | Mario Gosselin | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | BuckedUp Apparel |
| 93 | Josh Wise (i) | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | RSS Racing |
| 97 | T. J. Bell | Obaika Racing | Chevrolet | Vroom! Brands |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, June 10, at 12:30 PM EST. The session would last for 55 minutes. Erik Jones, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 37.482, and an average speed of 192.092 mph (309.142 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 20 | Erik Jones (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 37.482 | 192.092 |
| 2 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 37.523 | 191.882 |
| 3 | 22 | Joey Logano (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 37.556 | 191.714 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Final practice

The final practice session was held on Friday, June 10, at 3:00 PM EST. The session would last for 55 minutes. Joey Logano, driving for Team Penske, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 37.534, and an average speed of 191.826 mph (308.714 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 22 | Joey Logano (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 37.534 | 191.826 |
| 2 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 37.595 | 191.515 |
| 3 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 37.614 | 191.418 |
| Full final practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Saturday, June 11, at 10:00 AM EST. Since Michigan International Speedway is at least 2 miles (3.2 km), the qualifying system was a single car, single lap, two round system where in the first round, everyone would set a time to determine positions 13–40. Then, the fastest 12 qualifiers would move on to the second round to determine positions 1–12.
Alex Bowman, driving for JR Motorsports, would win the pole after advancing from the preliminary round and setting the fastest lap in Round 2, with a lap of 37.581, and an average speed of 191.586 mph (308.328 km/h).

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) |
| 1 | 88 | Alex Bowman | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 37.535 | 191.821 | 37.581 | 191.586 |
| 2 | 20 | Erik Jones (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 37.640 | 191.286 | 37.591 | 191.535 |
| 3 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 37.687 | 191.047 | 37.629 | 191.342 |
| 4 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 37.793 | 190.511 | 37.655 | 191.210 |
| 5 | 18 | Kyle Busch (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 37.762 | 190.668 | 37.740 | 190.779 |
| 6 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 37.871 | 190.119 | 37.750 | 190.728 |
| 7 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 37.765 | 190.653 | 37.765 | 190.653 |
| 8 | 48 | Brennan Poole (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 37.821 | 190.370 | 37.784 | 190.557 |
| 9 | 22 | Joey Logano (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 37.781 | 190.572 | 37.827 | 190.340 |
| 10 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 37.822 | 190.365 | 37.830 | 190.325 |
| 11 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 37.766 | 190.648 | 37.840 | 190.275 |
| 12 | 2 | Paul Menard (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 37.883 | 190.059 | 38.009 | 189.429 |
| Eliminated in Round 1 |||||||||
| 13 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 37.974 | 189.603 | - | - |
| 14 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 37.994 | 189.504 | - | - |
| 15 | 33 | Brandon Jones (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 38.009 | 189.429 | - | - |
| 16 | 42 | Justin Marks | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 38.083 | 189.061 | - | - |
| 17 | 6 | Bubba Wallace | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 38.088 | 189.036 | - | - |
| 18 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 38.113 | 188.912 | - | - |
| 19 | 28 | Dakoda Armstrong | JGL Racing | Toyota | 38.210 | 188.432 | - | - |
| 20 | 0 | Garrett Smithley (R) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 38.218 | 188.393 | - | - |
| 21 | 44 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 38.306 | 187.960 | - | - |
| 22 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 38.365 | 187.671 | - | - |
| 23 | 14 | Jeff Green | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 38.573 | 186.659 | - | - |
| 24 | 01 | Ryan Preece (R) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 38.617 | 186.446 | - | - |
| 25 | 10 | Matt DiBenedetto (i) | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 38.717 | 185.965 | - | - |
| 26 | 07 | Ray Black Jr. (R) | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 38.766 | 185.730 | - | - |
| 27 | 93 | Josh Wise (i) | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 38.955 | 184.829 | - | - |
| 28 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (R) | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Ford | 39.004 | 184.596 | - | - |
| 29 | 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 39.294 | 183.234 | - | - |
| 30 | 13 | Harrison Rhodes | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 39.347 | 182.987 | - | - |
| 31 | 97 | T. J. Bell | Obaika Racing | Chevrolet | 39.521 | 182.182 | - | - |
| 32 | 70 | Derrike Cope | Derrike Cope Racing | Chevrolet | 39.769 | 181.046 | - | - |
| 33 | 92 | Mario Gosselin | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 39.832 | 180.759 | - | - |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||||
| 34 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 40.115 | 179.484 | - | - |
| 35 | 25 | Chris Cockrum | Chris Cockrum Racing | Chevrolet | 40.345 | 178.461 | - | - |
| 36 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 40.996 | 175.627 | - | - |
| 37 | 90 | Martin Roy | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 41.073 | 175.298 | - | - |
| 38 | 15 | Todd Peck | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Ford | 41.212 | 174.706 | - | - |
| 39 | 40 | John Jackson | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 42.215 | 170.555 | - | - |
| 40 | 79 | Josh Williams | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 42.268 | 170.342 | - | - |
| Official qualifying results |||||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 6 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 125 | 4 | Running | 44 |
| 2 | 5 | 18 | Kyle Busch (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 125 | 88 | Running | 0 |
| 3 | 12 | 2 | Paul Menard (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 125 | 1 | Running | 0 |
| 4 | 2 | 20 | Erik Jones (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 125 | 18 | Running | 38 |
| 5 | 3 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 125 | 2 | Running | 37 |
| 6 | 9 | 22 | Joey Logano (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 125 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 7 | 1 | 88 | Alex Bowman | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 125 | 11 | Running | 35 |
| 8 | 4 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 125 | 0 | Running | 33 |
| 9 | 17 | 6 | Bubba Wallace | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 125 | 0 | Running | 32 |
| 10 | 15 | 33 | Brandon Jones (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 125 | 0 | Running | 31 |
| 11 | 8 | 48 | Brennan Poole (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 125 | 0 | Running | 30 |
| 12 | 10 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 125 | 0 | Running | 29 |
| 13 | 7 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 125 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 14 | 11 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 125 | 0 | Running | 27 |
| 15 | 13 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 125 | 0 | Running | 26 |
| 16 | 18 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 125 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 17 | 20 | 0 | Garrett Smithley (R) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 125 | 0 | Running | 24 |
| 18 | 14 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 125 | 0 | Running | 23 |
| 19 | 24 | 01 | Ryan Preece (R) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 125 | 0 | Running | 22 |
| 20 | 21 | 44 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 124 | 1 | Running | 22 |
| 21 | 22 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 124 | 0 | Running | 20 |
| 22 | 16 | 42 | Justin Marks | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 124 | 0 | Running | 19 |
| 23 | 26 | 07 | Ray Black Jr. (R) | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 123 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 24 | 19 | 28 | Dakoda Armstrong | JGL Racing | Toyota | 122 | 0 | Running | 17 |
| 25 | 29 | 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 121 | 0 | Running | 16 |
| 26 | 30 | 13 | Harrison Rhodes | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 120 | 0 | Running | 15 |
| 27 | 37 | 90 | Martin Roy | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 118 | 0 | Running | 14 |
| 28 | 31 | 97 | T. J. Bell | Obaika Racing | Chevrolet | 117 | 0 | Running | 13 |
| 29 | 36 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 116 | 0 | Running | 12 |
| 30 | 38 | 15 | Todd Peck | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Ford | 116 | 0 | Running | 11 |
| 31 | 32 | 70 | Derrike Cope | Derrike Cope Racing | Chevrolet | 115 | 0 | Running | 10 |
| 32 | 35 | 25 | Chris Cockrum | Chris Cockrum Racing | Chevrolet | 82 | 0 | Accident | 9 |
| 33 | 23 | 14 | Jeff Green | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 75 | 0 | Transmission | 8 |
| 34 | 28 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (R) | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Ford | 70 | 0 | Transmission | 7 |
| 35 | 33 | 92 | Mario Gosselin | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 41 | 0 | Vibration | 6 |
| 36 | 34 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 16 | 0 | Oil Leak | 5 |
| 37 | 39 | 40 | John Jackson | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 13 | 0 | Clutch | 4 |
| 38 | 40 | 79 | Josh Williams | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 11 | 0 | Overheating | 3 |
| 39 | 27 | 93 | Josh Wise (i) | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 8 | 0 | Rear Gear | 0 |
| 40 | 25 | 10 | Matt DiBenedetto (i) | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 3 | 0 | Rear Gear | 0 |
| Official race results ||||||||||

## Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings :
| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Daniel Suárez | 452 |
| | 2 | Elliott Sadler | 434 (-18) |
| | 3 | Ty Dillon | 416 (-36) |
| 1 | 4 | Erik Jones | 397 (-55) |
| 2 | 5 | Justin Allgaier | 388 (-64) |
| | 6 | Brandon Jones | 388 (-64) |
| 3 | 7 | Brendan Gaughan | 386 (-66) |
| | 8 | Brennan Poole | 373 (-79) |
| | 9 | Bubba Wallace | 340 (-112) |
| | 10 | Ryan Reed | 301 (-151) |
| | 11 | Blake Koch | 294 (-158) |
| | 12 | Ryan Sieg | 292 (-160) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
* Note: Only the first 12 positions are included for the driver standings.